Capturing the Copy Ninja's heart
by Patches of Sour
Summary: The love story between Gai and Kakashi you might not have heard of. This story will updated at once a week. Rating will go up in later chapters! This is my first time ever writing a fic so any constructive feedback is much appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto in any way.

Chapter 1 

Gai hadn't felt this excited in a long time. He was smiling so hard that even the villagers, who over the years were use to his bizarre behavior, were beyond concerned. There were many reasons for Gai to be happy… for one he had finished his first ever B rank mission with his genin team over the weekend. His genin team were perfect and adorable. He enjoyed Tenten's spunk and dedication to being the strongest kunoichi. Neji, while very cool at first seemed to be warming up to Gai and the rest of the team. Then there was Lee who looked up and admired Gai so much. Gai never thought he would have a pupil that respected and cared so much about him. He felt worshiped at times which is something Gai felt like he was never going to be on the receiving end of. Guys like the Third Hokage and Minato were hero worshiped. They were talented beyond compare with cool personalities and looks to match (the Third Hokage was a good looker back in his peak days.) Gai while one of the strongest in the village was goofy and eccentric and received more tepid smiles and pity laughs then respect from the villagers. It made Gai feel like his eternal rival, Kakashi, for a change.

But the reason Gai was so happy today was because today he found out that his eternal rival and crush, Kakashi, was leaving the ANBU and was going to be mentoring his own genin team.

 _Earlier this morning_

 _"Welcome back Team Gai. From the looks of it is seems you guys were successful on your mission" says Kotetsu._

 _"The mission was a complete success. I'll let you know that my team is skilled enough that the Third Hokage personally assigned us a B rank mission " says Gai._

 _Izumo and Kotetsu eyes widened at that comment._

 _"Well Gai that is an incredibly impressive accomplishment for a genin team. You seem to have a way with kids. You keep it up and Kakashi's team will never be able to catch up yours" says Izumo._

 _"Well thank you guys… WAIT WHAT" screams Gai. Tenten screams at Gai for yelling in her ears again while Neji looks like he wants nothing more than to dissolve into the floor._

 _"Oh you haven't heard yet because you have been away for the last two weeks but the Third Hokage is telling Kakashi today that he is leaving ANBU and will becoming a mentor of a genin team. Izumo and I found out early because we are friends with the secretary who works for the Third Hokage" says Kotetsu._

 _Gai felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest. This was what he had been dreaming of hearing about for years now. He knew he had to get back home to mull things over on what to do next with his eternal rival._

 _"Neji, Tenten, Lee, you all performed admirably over the course of the mission. I am very proud of you guys. I will see you all tomorrow at 5am to resume training. I hope you guys have a youthful day off today. Kotetsu and Izumo, thank you for the information If you excuse me guys I have a few errands that need to be completed" says Gai. Gai then vanished leaving everyone else completely confused by his sudden disappearance._

 _End of flashback_

Ever since Kakashi had joined the ANBU Gai didn't get to see his rival that often. For years after Minato, Rin, and Obito's deaths Kakashi had been so lifeless and dead inside. Kakashi blamed himself for Rin and Obito's deaths to this very day even though it wasn't his fault. Minato had been really the last thing Kakashi had for a family member after Kakashi's father had committed suicide. After they had all died Kakashi went inward and started avoiding the village and its residents all together. Kakashi threw himself into his work and trained constantly. Demanding the most difficult missions he could get. Many took it has a sign as Kakashi trying to find a way to kill himself in a less shameful way other than suicide. Eventually Root recruited Kakashi to join ANBU. The ANBU was perfect for Kakashi. No one questioned Kakashi about why he had bags under his eyes. Why he looked so lifeless and emancipated. Why someone so skilled as him seemed to constantly be getting new scars from "training sessions." Root didn't ask Kakashi these questions because as long as Kakashi could complete his missions efficiently there was no point getting involved in Kakashi's personal life. Kakashi knew he was viewed just as a weapon by Root which is what he wanted. He didn't want anymore bonds, he didn't want teammates, and he didn't want the pain of losing a loved one all over again. Kakashi quickly got swallowed into the Root organization, very rarely appearing in the village without his ANBU mask on.

Throughout it all Gai had been there for Kakashi. On long missions Gai was always restocking Kakashi's apartment with new food for Kakashi when he returned. He replaced the flowers on Obito and Rin's graves if the mission lasted over a week. He even cleaned Kakashi's apartment and did Kakashi's laundry too. For someone who seemed to lack the ability to behave like a normal person at times Gai was extremely attuned with the art of reading Kakashi. He could tell when Kakashi wasn't sleeping from bad nightmares and wanted nothing other than to spar to the point of exhausation so he could finally get some sleep. Gai knew when to leave food for Kakashi in his apartment when Kakashi was in one of his anti-social moods and wanted to get away from the rest of the world. But most importantly Gai knew that no matter how cold and indifferent Kakashi presented himself to the rest of the world that Kakashi still desired to be loved and cherished just like everyone else. So even though Kakashi brushed Gai off all the time, poked fun of his ridiculous training methods and quirks, and sometimes made comments that were way to personal and felt like a knife into his heart, Gai didn't give up. This was because Gai had been in love, and will probably always will be in love with Kakashi.

It probably would come at no surprise that Gai is someone who firmly believes in love at first sight. He grew up with his father, Maito Dai, telling Gai how it was being struck by lightening the first time he saw Gai's mother annihilating a training post on the east training ground. Gai knew it the moment he saw Kakashi. His heart was shattered after being listed as an alternate for the Academy. Just when he felt at his lowest and had no reason to continue on fighting for his dream of becoming a ninja he saw Kakashi watching Gai trying to finish his 500 laps. Gai was struck by how handsome and strong Kakashi looked. It felt like there was static in the air and it was making it hard to breathe. Gai knew at that moment he had to keep training so he could be around the silver head boy and maybe one day earn Kakashi's respect and trust.

Gai sat in his apartment thinking about what his next move should be. While he was happy knowing his friend would be leaving ANBU he knew Kakashi wasn't going to take the news well. Kakashi liked the ANBU because things were simple there. Kill or be killed. ANBU didn't promote things such as bonds and friendships which is why members were required to wear masks not just so their enemies couldn't learn their identities but to also prevent their comrades from becoming emotional attached to one another which could jeopardize the mission. Gai had tried to follow after Kakashi into the ANBU but was rejected from the program. He repeatedly failed the ANBU test. The test had many parts that pushed the participant to his or her limits. Gai passed every part with flying colors except for one part. In this part of the exam Gai was put in a genjustsu that showed the examiners how he responded to great diversity in a simple mission. The mission was always the same and the outcome was always the same each time. The examiner would force Gai to choose between retrieving the scroll of leaked Leaf village information over saving the one he loved the most in the world, Kakashi.

It was the same proctor who gave this part of the exam to Gai, and it was the same proctor who failed him every time.

Her name was Yi and she had a special ability to distinguish what each and every individual cared about most in the world… and then pin it against him or her. Each time it would be the same thing. Yi would have Gai decide between choosing Kakashi or the mission and each and every time Gai would choose Kakashi. For that reason Yi would have to automatically fail Gai destroying his chance of reuniting with Kakashi. Yi, bless her heart never told anyone the reason why Gai failed her part. She took pity on the kind man with the big heart. The man obviously loved Kakashi with his whole entire heart even though the silver hair man never gave Gai the respect and love he desired in full.

The fact that Gai was willing to be something he wasn't in order to take care of Kakashi and protect him from the dangers of the Root organization was beyond compare. Yi's heart hurt ever time she saw Gai crying after finding out he had failed the exam again keeping him from achieving his goal of seeing Kakashi again.

While there were many gay relationships in the leaf village they were mostly underground. Konoha just like other villages had a similar "don't ask don't tell policy." While the town accepted those for having different sexual preferences, the villagers didn't want to see it in their faces.

Gai sat in his bed frowning at how Kakashi would take the news. He knew Kakashi wouldn't take the news well and probably would have another meltdown. Gai wondered during this meltdown would it be ok for Gai to be around Kakashi and help him out or would Kakashi lock himself away from the rest of world for a couple of days. Gai prayed it wasn't the latter because it broke his heart every time he finally saw Kakashi after those kinds of meltdown. Kakashi would walk around the village with this dead look in his eyes that looked so detached and empty. He would ignore basically everyone and most of all push Gai further away. But now things might finally change.

Kakashi being out of the ANBU and with a genin meant that Gai would be seeing him almost on a daily basis. Genin leaders had to meet on a weekly basis to discuss how their genin teams were doing and seek advice from other leaders on how to further push their teams. Genin leaders were expected to have a close relationship with one another do to the fact that there were times would they would either be collaborating with other teams on missions or in some instances in charge of taking care of genin from other teams without their leaders. Not only that but leaders were encouraged to have frequent practices with one another to help improve camaraderie among the genin.

Gai could barely contain his excitement over this fact. He would show Kakashi the ropes on how to lead a genin team with the way of youthful energy! All while breaking down Kakashi's barriers and maybe getting a little bit closer to him. Well the latter didn't seem as probable, Gai wasn't about to give up. He had waited over a decade for this opportunity and it was against his ninja way to give up on something.

With a glint in his eye that contained all the hope he had kept inside all these years, Gai set out to find and congratulate Kakashi.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

_Early next day_

When he had received news that the Third Hokage wanted to meet and "discuss" things, Kakashi knew it wasn't going to be anything good. It had been years since the last time Kakashi had a one on one with the Third Hokage. The last time they had spoken was when the Third Hokage tried to convince Kakashi to join the Root division of the ANBU, stating it wouldn't be something Obito and Minato would have wanted.

Kakashi had some notion about what the Third Hokage wanted to discuss. Kakashi's performance in his most recent missions for the ANBU had been less than spectacular. He was getting the missions accomplished but also taking a lot of damage to his body. On top of that, he recently failed his recent psychological checkup. If Kakashi had to be honest with himself, he knew that he was slacking. For someone with so much potential, someone who was sometimes referred to as a "genius," Kakashi's growth over the last couple of years as a ninja had become stagnant. The Third Hokage saw this and stated it was because Kakashi no longer felt deep bonds to the village. Bonds are the reason why ninjas push themselves to their limits. To be able to protect their loved ones and their village is the best way for a ninja to reach into their untapped potential. The Third Hokage believed the only way for Kakashi to grow as an individual and as a ninja would be by creating new bonds… by helping train the next generation of ninjas.

Kakashi spent the rest of the day locked in his apartment staring at his old team picture of him, Minato, Obito, and Rin. Even after taking some prescribed sleep medication, Kakashi still wasn't able to sleep at all that night without nightmares of Rin throwing herself in front of his chidori. He could still feel the moment his hand pierced through her heart. Then there was Obito asking Kakashi over and over again if they were friends or not. Kakashi never once told Obito he was grateful for his friendship and now it was to late.

Kakashi finally rolled out of bed and decided that he might as well start training early. He walked into his kitchen, quickly praying to Kami that he had some food in his fridge so that he could eat for breakfast. He was supposed to go shopping yesterday, but his meeting with the Third Hokage had triggered a depressive episode which caused Kakashi to lock himself in his apartment all day.

Kakashi opened his refrigerator to see it fully stocked with an assortment of proteins such as eggs, fish, chicken, a bowl of fruit, and some vegetables, in the bottom draw. There was even miso soup with eggplant from his favorite restaurant that was just a 10 minute walk on the outskirts of Konoha. Kakashi knew by now that Gai had restocked his kitchen.

Throughout the years, Kakashi never ceased to be amazed at how Gai always seemed to have his fridge stocked. Kakashi still didn't understand what he did to deserve all this effort from Gai. He barely treated Gai with respect. How many times had Gai tried to engage Kakashi in conversation and Kakashi straight up ignored him and did his usual "Oh were you saying something Gai" trick. Kakashi barely even treated Gai with respect. He openly made fun of Gai's eccentric personality and terrible looks. It was only two weeks ago when Kakashi ripped on Gai's caterpillar eyebrows in front of Asuma and Kurenai just to see how Gai would react in public to his harsh words. Gai responded with his usual good guy pose and commented how much he enjoyed Kakashi's youthful banter.

It didn't matter how much shit he put Gai through, the man just kept coming back. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that Gai was so loud all the time. Every time he saw Kakashi it was the usual "My eternal rival where have you been?!." Kakashi remembered that time that Gai screamed so loud in excitement at seeing him for the first time in 2 months in the village that Inuzuka's clan, who had all gathered in the same restaurant as Kakashi and had been mourning the death of a family member, took to the ground and covered their ears in pain.

Kakashi wanted to thank Gai for cleaning his apartment and stocking up his fridge. The least Kakashi could do was do something for Gai maybe accept a challenge from him that was something other than rock-paper-scissor. So he set off in search of Gai, knowing that he would be at his favorite early morning training spot.

Gai was going through his usual warm up routine when he heard a noise. 'Ah so my delightful students have finally decided to take me up on my extra, early morning routine. By how light the steps sounded, it must be Tenten'

"I knew you would finally take me up on my challenge." Gai jumped up and hugged what he thought was Tenten.

"Gai, get off me or I won't stay and let you challenge me." Said Kakashi, unsurprised.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival what are you doing here!?"

'Sigh, this was a bad idea.' Kakashi had to admit that Gai looked a lot taller and muscular since the last time he saw him. Gai's shirtless body revealed a nice, chiseled chest with a few black hairs. His large facial features seemed more balanced and well-proportioned with his body. 'He's actually quite attractive now.'

Kakashi internally cringed at the fact that he just thought Gai was attractive.

At this point Gai had gone beet red from having Kakashi check him out for so long. "Kakashi is something wrong? You just keep staring at me."

"As a thank you for restocking my fridge. I have come here, to tell you that you can ask for something in return. I'm guessing that you will probably ask me to accept one of your dumb challenges."

Gai broke out into a huge smile upon hearing the news.

"So what will it be? Taijustu, ping pong, a race around the village. You can choose anything for your challenge. I'll give you some time to think about it. "

Then Kakashi thought to himself, "If I leave quickly and avoid Gai for a couple of weeks… I won't actually have to follow through on his promise." Just as he was about to disappear, Gai screamed for him to stop.

"Kakashi, what I want from you is to be able to take you out on a date," said Gai as he gave his trademark smile and thumbs up.

"What?" Kakashi was completely taken by surprise.

"You said I could ask something from you and that's what I did. Now if you will excuse me, my team is here and we really need to start our training session. I could pick you up at your place tomorrow at 7pm. Don't worry, I'll take you out to an unknown restaurant outside of the village so you won't run into any co-workers. If that works with you."

To this Kakashi could only nod his head in agreement, still taken aback at Gai's sudden bought of courage.

"Oh and Kakashi, you should try to close your mouth. It makes you look uncool with it wide open."

Kakashi could only nod dumbly again before disappearing. Soon he heard Gai's booming voice, screaming his welcome towards his youthful students. When did Gai stop being such a pushover?


End file.
